If you’re a long-time Charlestonian, chances are you’ve lived in a Charleston single house at some point in your life. Many visitors have come away remembering this iconic Charleston architecture. Charleston singles are, after all, common throughout the peninsula and beyond. From the mansions South of Broad to modest neighborhoods extending past the crosstown, the Charleston single is part of the city’s makeup and charm.

So what makes up a Charleston single house? Several things, like its long, narrow shape, distinguish the style from others, while the somewhat private porch is often the most favored feature of all. Of course, there’s rhyme and reason to its design, mainly relating to local conditions — namely the city’s hot and humid summers. Yes, even centuries ago, Charleston was known for being muggy on summer days and sultry in the evenings!

Here are a few of the features you’ll find in a Charleston single house and reasons behind their particular design:

photo credit: Instagram user @beauclowneyarchitects

1. Long, narrow shape

In order to build a single house, you need only a long, narrow lot, which is how the city was laid out in its early days. The tall, slender homes are typically placed quite closely to the neighboring home, perhaps too close for comfort in some cases. The single house has a narrow side, with the long side of the house – the traditional “front” – being perpendicular to the street. The plain, short facade is what faces the street.

2. Width

While the house is long and narrow, it is also only one room wide, when viewed from the street — which gives the single house its name! But what the home lacks in width it makes up for in length and height. As mentioned before, the house is quite long, while many Charleston single houses are also several tiers high.

photo credit: Instagram user @dtnash

3. The Front Door

What may appear to be a front door — the one facing the street — is only an entrance to the private porch. The actual front door is down the middle of the porch. This was intended to give more privacy to the homeowners during the more modest Victorian period.

4. Interior Layout

Though the architectural form of the single house comes in everything from Federal to Victorian styles, the most consistent feature will always be its interior layout. A front door along the long side of the house leads you into a foyer and stairwell, and there’s a room to the left, usually a bedroom, and to the right — which normally serves as the living room, with the kitchen being on the other side of the living room — an open archway separating the two. The same floor plan is generally repeated upstairs.

photo credit: Instagram user @sweetteaheather

The Porch

Single houses have side porches — oops, pardon, I mean piazzas. Accessible via the aforementioned door on the street-side of the house, the piazza is strategically placed on the long side of the house to increase the odds of catching a cool breeze— definitely a factor to consider in a city that gets so hot and muggy during summers. They are also a pretty sweet spot to enjoy a cup of tea or an afternoon snooze!

photo credit: Instagram user @asmantiques_charleston_sc

If you are looking for a Charleston single to call your own, stop by The Real Estate Studio where our experienced, professional agents are always here to answer questions or show property.

Rain or shine, day or night, on the front or on the side, Charlestonians are experts in the fine art of porch-sitting. Even our President remarked in 2008 that “Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and on the front porches of Charleston.” In one fell swoop, our porches became famous.

Not that it was necessary. Not that it changed what we do.

From the beginning of Charleston’s times, the porch (or piazza) has played an integral part of our lives. Our porches are wide – 12 feet is ideal, and scattered with lounging couches and rocking chairs, dining tables, swings and joggling boards. We are lost without them. Where else would we sit and idly watch the passersby? Where else would we dine with our family on a cool fall evening? Is there a better place to entertain our friends on a sultry Lowcountry night, cold glass of wine in hand? Would a morning cup of joe even taste right without the experience of the sunrise as the birds chirp their morning madness? How would people know that it’s ok to just drop in unless they saw us practicing our art?

Entire life-changing philosophies are created on our porches. Loves are sparked, businesses are born, relationships are forged….

I’ve seen new developments being built in Charleston with nary even a balcony in sight. I say to them – you are obviously not from here. You obviously don’t get what it is to be a Charlestonian. We need our porch, our outside, our connectedness to nature, our town and our community.

Perhaps it was under the influence of Obama, or perhaps people are just waking up, but the porch is making a comeback. All of a sudden, a porch is being seen as a way to connect people to their communities (imagine!). It’s neighborly and charming and is an American Icon. So check out the recent Post and Courier article about porches. Get one on your house (if you don’t have one already) or find a home here that has one, and practice the fine art of porch sittin’. You’ll discover a whole new beautiful world.